Tyson Fury stripped of IBF world heavyweight title belt

I'm a sports and sports business journalist with City A.M. Follow me for coverage of the industry behind sports and the money made by top athletes.

I've provided expert commentary on sports business for both TV and radio, including the BBC World Service.

My email is always open to tips and story ideas: joe.hall@cityam.com

Follow Joe

Joe Hall

Stripped: Fury has lost his IBF world title belt (l) (Source: Getty)

Tyson Fury has lost one of his world title belts less than a fortnight after beating Wladimir Klitschko to become heavyweight champion of the world.

The International Boxing Federation (IBF) has stripped Fury of his world heavyweight title for facing Wladimir Klitschko in an immediate rematch rather than taking on the organisation's mandatory challenger, Ukrainian Vyacheslav Glazkov.

"Our challenger was Vyacheslav Glazkov, but instead Fury's gone and signed a rematch clause with Wladimir Klitschko."

A rematch clause negotiated into the contract for the Fury v Klitschko fight has been activated by the vanquished champion, who was beaten for the first time in 11 years by Fury.

Glazkov has won 21 of 22 fights but is not widely considered a world class fighter and would be unlikely to generate a rematch with the legendary Klitschko.

The IBF's rules specifically outlaw rematch clauses being written into contracts for title fights.

Rule 3B states:

No contract for a Championship contest shall contain any clause or provision, whatsoever, guaranteeing or in any way assuring or promising either contestant a return Championship contest where such clause or provision interferes with the mandatory defence of the title.

Fury still holds the WBO and WBA heavyweight world title belts while American Deontay Wilder holds the WBC belt.